SAS EG v6.1 - Using Office Files for Input and Output

[SP_John]

In previous versions we were disappointed with the manner SAS used in the treatment of MSoffice files.  We didn't like that the Excel spreadsheet was imported as data when we just wanted to view the data in a spreadsheet.  We also never quite liked how the outputs were sent to say a word document for use/review outside the guide.

Could people share their experiences with using the new version of EG in relation to MSOffice file formats for input or output purposes?

Thank you.

[jakarman]

Why Eguide and not AMO?

[nrose]

Hi,

SAS EG 6.1 treats Excel the way previous version have. The point of EG is not to be an Excel viewer, but to interface with Excel so that it can import that data, and be able to carry out the advanced analytics that Excel can't do. Similarly, it can send SAS data and output to Excel and Word, although, in the latter case, you might have to do some resizing and reformatting, and this is perhaps what you don't like.

A warning however that the 64 bit EG will not be able to interface with 32 bit Office unless AMO is installed. More importantly, 32 bit Access files will not be able to imported with 64 bit SAS EG, and forget about .dbf files. There is a 32 bit EG out now, but this does not have a stand-alone installer yet. Perhaps someone can clarify when this might be released?

If you want to view and work with SAS datasets within Excel, AMO, as suggested by Jaap is more appropriate, but, you will need the BI license for that.

[ChrisHemedinger]

Nick, I believe that the 6.1m1 package (provided with a SAS 9.4m1 order/depot) would have the standalone installer.  It's a combined installer that can support either 32-bit or 64-bit, as indicated by the package name in the software depot:

.\standalone_installs\SAS_Enterprise_Guide_Independent_Installer\6.11\SASEnterpriseGuide61_M1_x86_x64.exe

If you install on a Windows x64 machine, you should see a prompt for your preference: 32-bit compatibility version, or the 64-bit version.

Chris

[SP_John]

I thnk I'll download and perform some testing....

[SP_John]

Thank you.  It seems there may be some solutions but we may have to work to get them implemented.

[SASKiwi]

If you have SAS/ACCESS to PC FILES licensed then you can use the assign a LIBNAME which points at an Excel workbook and allows you to browse the sheets without going through an import wizard.

You can also programmatically import and export as well.

[Reeza]

Perhaps a better question is what are your requirements.

If you just want to view a spreadsheet then it doesn't sound like you need the power of SAS.

The output to Word/RTF and Excel via tag sets can be very specific but not using default settings. You'll need to venture into programming for those features.

[SP_John]

We use the spreadsheet within our programming as a source, we don't want to add the data.  We have also found that within our environemnt we cannot share the spreadsheet... only one person can access it at time.